Canadians not keen on another Afghanistan

OTTAWA – A majority of Canadians are proud of the men and women who fought in Afghanistan, but would be less likely to support another similar mission, according to an exclusive poll for Sun News.

The online survey found that 83% of 1,250 respondents expressed pride for those who served, but 79% felt very little had been gained for the number of Canadian soldiers killed and the money spent fighting the Taliban.

Only 38% would support a future deployment.

More than 40,000 Canadian Forces rotated through Afghanistan from 2001 until this month when the last troops returned home.

The conflict killed 158 soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors.

When asked along political affiliations whether Canada made the wrong decision to join the war, New Democrats and Liberals were more likely to agree at 61% and 54% respectively, while Conservatives were least likely to agree at 40%.

Political allegiances aside, 54% of all respondents said that in hindsight Canada should not have participated in a war that will likely cost more than $22 billion when the final bill is tallied.

The Abacus Data survey was conducted between Feb. 28 and March 5.

Abacus uses an online survey and weighs the results to reflect various characteristics of Canada’s population. While margin of error cannot be calculated for online surveys, the Market and Research and Intelligence Association says the method Abacus and other pollsters use is capable of producing accurate results.

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